Summary
The study investigated the effects of bait size and hook size on catching efficiency and size selectivity in Icelandic longline fisheries targeting cod (Gadus morhua), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), tusk (Brosme brosme), ling (Molva molva) and wolffish (Anarhichas lupus). Five sizes of hooks and two sizes of bait were tested. Larger bait (30 grams vs. 10 grams) caught more large fish and fewer small fish of all species, with the exception of ling. Additionally, haddock catches were reduced by 57% when the large bait was used. Increasing hook size lowered capture efficiency for all species, but only had a minor effect on size selectivity.